We had no illusions about the flight back and were already talking about loading up on magazines and snacks in the airport to offset the typical boredom and bad plane fare of an eight hour flight.
Not bad for summer fare, and certainly unequaled anywhere in the world.
And thank goodness the legal authorities are recognizing that those in charge have responsibility, especially if through their actions they allow bad states of fares to persist.
Studies have shown, however, that people with brain lesions affecting decision making tend to favor the "bad," riskier decks and fare poorly.
The music, by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater, is standard Broadway fare (not bad, but uninspired), and the plot and dialogue, by the "Cheers" writers Cheri and Bill Steinkellner, with additional material by Douglas Carter Beane, are as thin as those of a Saturday-morning cartoon.
"When the housing market is good, active adult communities are fabulous, but when the market is bad, active adult communities fare worse than others because these are the most discretionary buyers," says Steve Eckert, CEO and co-founder of Classic Group in Bethesda, developers of Two Rivers.
The good and bad news is that fares are down, he said: "With lower fares, you find people who couldn't do it before are now on the plane".
The M.T.A.'s fiscal woes are so bad, though, that raising fares alone won't solve the problem.
So over all, the news is bad for consumers, as fares rise and "fewer airlines are flying fewer airplanes to fewer cities," said Jeff Klee, the chief executive of CheapAir.com.
Jeanette Hoffman, executive director of the state Republican Committee, gave a taste of this on Thursday when she released her own South Jersey poll purporting to show just how bad the governor is faring.
"Rather than sending the bill to working families and subway and bus riders already feeling the pressure of rising fares and bad service, we are asking the wealthiest in our city to chip in a little extra to help move our transit system into the 21st century," Mr. de Blasio said in a statement.
